There Are Too Many Germs In The Air

In variably when we get a spurt of mild weather during the winter, and people begin to manifest the symptoms of colds and the flu, the conclusion is that the warm weather is not killing off the germs and there are too many in the air.  The germs that supposedly make people sick are only a small percentage of the millions of varieties of germs that exist in the world, the vast majority of which have no affect on the human organism.  The reason they do not is that they do not like the environment of the human body and its temperature of about 98.6° F.  Some prefer the 50° F temperature of the soil so they live there.  Clearly, when the temperature in the middle of January rises to 50° F in New England it is not going to make the environment any more hospitable to a germ that likes 98.6° F.  That’s like saying you can prosper better living outside in 0° weather than you can in -25° F.  Frankly, you will pretty much die at either temperature.

So where do we get these ideas?  How have we come to believe the germs make you sick?  It’s all the fault of the microscope!  We weren’t afraid of them when we couldn’t see them.  Actually, many people are still not afraid of them.  The “germ theory” was first put forth by Louis Pasteur (1822-1895).  He had a contemporary named Claude Bernard (1813-1878) who said it was not the germ but the body’s internal environment, the resistance of the person that determines whether a germ makes one sick or not.  The argument between these two men lasted throughout their lifetimes.  It is said that on his deathbed, Pasteur admitted that Bernard was correct, it was the body’s internal environment that was the factor.

A modern microbiologist, Rene Dubos agreed with Bernard.  He said, “most microbial diseases are caused by organisms present in the body of a normal individual.  They become the cause of disease when a disturbance arises which upsets the equilibrium of the body.” There are many things that can upset the body’s “equilibrium.”  We usually refer to equilibrium as resistance.  It is determined by the amount of rest you get, how good your diet is, all those things that you should be doing to stay healthy in the first place.  That is why some people don’t think about or worry about germs.  They keep their body healthy to begin with.  If germs in the air were the cause, everybody would be sick, unless there are people out there who have figured out how to walk around without breathing!

There is one more factor that affects your body’s resistance, a very important factor–that is how well your nerve system is functioning.  Every other aspect of your health is dependent upon your nerve system.  You need a good nerve supply to receive the maximum benefit from your exercise and the food that you eat.  Our immune system is very closely related to the nerve system.  In some ways it is difficult to determine where one ends and the other begins.  The proper function of the nerve system is what ultimately controls the body’s equilibrium.  Anything that compromises the body’s nerve system either directly or indirectly affects the body’s resistance and our ability to be resistant to the germs in the air and in our body.Vertebral subluxation interferes with the proper function of the nerve system and that is why chiropractors address their attention toward correcting peoples’ vertebral subluxations.  If you are doing common-sense things and you do everything you should be doing for your health, including seeing your chiropractor regularly, you need not be worried about the germs in the air or anywhere else.